Pesticides include any substance or mixture of substances used for preventing, controlling, or lessening the damage caused by a pest. A pesticide may be a chemical substance, biological agent such as a virus or bacteria, antimicrobial, or a disinfectant. Pests include insects, plant pathogens, weeds, mollusks, birds, mammals, fish, nematodes such as roundworms, and microbes.
Insecticides are a category of pesticides for the control of insects, namely ovicides or substances that kill eggs, larvicides or substances that kill larvae, or adulticides or substances that kill adult insects. Pesticides also include miticides, acaricides, mulluscides, nematicides, and other varieties of agents.
Pesticides are used for a variety of applications, including crop treatments, animal treatments, treatments for substrates such as wood or other surfaces, and treatment of home infestations. The choice of pesticide typically depends on a variety of factors, including the type of pest, the type of application, the likelihood of contact with humans or other animals, the porosity of the substrate, and the like.
In one application, namely crop protection, there is a need to eliminate or substantially reduce crop damage caused by insects, while at the same time, lessening the environmental impact caused by pesticide use.
In another application, namely insecticidal control, there is a need to provide effective insecticidal control in a home or business while avoiding concentrations of insecticides that might be harmful to humans or other animals. One such application includes protecting wood products from termite damage, with a preference for using agents that are less toxic than current common products such as copper/chrome/arsenic (CCA) applications.
For these and other reasons, it would be advantageous to provide compositions that enhance the efficacy of insecticides.